Hyde5: Tom Coughlin? Dolphins legend Csonka wants him

Jan 06, 2016 | 8:16 AM

With the Dolphins setting up camp in New York and stacking interviews like a job fair, should they make room for former New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin? Former Dolphins great Larry Csonka wrote a blog entitled, "Why Miami Needs To Hire Tom Coughlin."

Csonka was Coughlin's teammate at Syracuse in the 1960s. Csonka points out control is an issue. And says a lot of names such as the hot coordinators could help the Dolphins. But …

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"An EXPERIENCED head coach, such as Coughlin, who has done it before and is current with personnel and what's happening in the League, could and would make it happen much sooner!"

It's interesting Coughlin's name gets such little play. His age, 70, must be part of the reason, though age alone shouldn't knock anyone out. He won two Super Bowls with the Giants. If Mike Shanahan, at 63 and out of the league a couple of years, is on the Dolphins radar, should Coughlin be?

"I'm sure the Dolphins will soon have a head coach,'' Csonka writes. "My hope is we won't be going through this AGAIN in two or three years."

(The Dolphins, by the way, have set up camp in New York, but will also have interviews in other cities to make it easier for candidates on playoff teams. They have requested to talk to Cincinnati's offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and both Patriots coordinators, according to reports.)

2. The Panthers won their 10th straight game and their reversal of fortune from much of the past two decades seems too good to believe. They don't just sit atop their division by five points. They're tied for third overall in the league with 51 points. They're 6-to-1 to win the Eastern Conference and 14-to-1 to win the Stanley Cup, according to Yahoo! And don't ask how Yahoo! drew up those odds. The point is they're not astronomical as in past seasons.

3. The Dolphins sure love New York, don't they?

4. Here's my theory on coaches: There are five elite ones in any sport who make a significant difference. There are 20 interchangeable ones. There are several who shouldn't be head coaches. Sean Payton is one of the five elites. You want him – as a coach. But if he wants full control of personnel? That muddies up the water considering he hasn't done it and, in this era, it's much more difficult with the salary cap than 25 years ago.

5. Quote of the day: "It's nice to have 10. Might as well just keep going and win every game." – Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau after Monday's 5-1 win against Buffalo.